Flangeless insulation product for compression fitting into insulation cavities

ABSTRACT

An insulation batt is provided. The insulation batt includes an elongated blanket of fibrous insulation material adapted to be positioned entirely within a wall cavity. The elongated blanket has a face portion and edges defining a blanket width that is within the range of from about 102 percent to about 107 percent of the known nominal width of the wall cavity. A facing material is attached to the face portion of the elongated blanket of fibrous insulation material. The insulation batt has a stiffness characterized by an angle measurement that measures the amount of deflection of the insulation products as the insulation batts are draped over a support located perpendicular to the longitudinal center axis of the insulation product. The stiffness measurement is within the range from about 15 degrees to about 35 degrees. The width of the facing material and the width of the blanket are approximately the same.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a Continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.12/971,923, currently pending, filed Dec. 17, 2010, and entitledFLANGELESS INSULATION PRODUCT FOR COMPRESSION FITTING INTO INSULATIONCAVITIES, which is a Continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.10/453,731, filed Jun. 3, 2003, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,866,105, all ofwhich are incorporated by reference in the present application in theirentirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This invention relates to a fibrous insulation product. In particular,this invention pertains to a flangeless fibrous insulation product thatis designed for compression fitting into wall cavities of a knownnominal width in buildings.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Fibrous insulation is typically formed by fiberizing molten material anddepositing the fibers on a collecting conveyor. Typically the fibers forinsulation products are mineral fibers, such as glass fibers, althoughsome insulation products are made of organic fibers, such aspolypropylene and polyester. Most fibrous insulation products contain abinder material to bond the fibers together where they contact eachother, forming a lattice or network. The binder gives the insulationproduct resiliency for recovery after packaging, and provides stiffnessand handleability so that the product can be handled and applied asneeded in the wall cavities of buildings. During manufacturing theinsulation is cut into widths and lengths to form individual insulationproducts, and the insulation products are packaged for shipping tocustomer locations.

Insulation products may also have a facing applied to one or more of themajor surfaces of the fibrous insulation product. The facing isgenerally applied using an adhesive material, and the facing, adhesivematerial, or combination serve several important functions. First, thefacing and/or adhesive serves as a vapor barrier for the insulationproduct. A vapor barrier is necessary to prevent moisture-laden air fromthe warm interior of the dwelling from entering the insulation.Otherwise, the water vapor in the warm interior air would enter theinsulation material and then cool and condense within the insulation oron the outside sheathing. This would result in a damp insulationproduct, which is incapable of performing at its designed efficiency. Inconjunction with serving as a vapor barrier, the facing material isoften used to facilitate the installation of the product. Facedinsulation products use a flanged facing material, meaning the facingextends beyond the edges of the major surface of the insulationmaterial. Insulation products that do not include the flanged facing andadhesive are also used; however, a vapor barrier material, such asplastic sheeting, may then be installed. Finally, the facing andadhesive provide stiffness to the assembled insulation product, thusimproving the handleability of the insulation product.

One such known insulation product is a insulation batt, usually about 8feet long, and generally suitable for use as wall insulation in standardwall cavities in residential and commercial structures. Standard wallcavities generally include cavities having a width averaging about 14½inches or 22½ inches where the spacing distances between the studs thatdefine the wall cavity are 16 and 24 inches, respectively. Facedinsulation products containing flange portions are generally designed tobe installed by mechanically fastening the flange portion of theinsulation batt to the studs defining each edge of the wall cavity.Unfaced insulation products are generally designed to be installed byusing a separate layer of material fastened to provide the necessaryvapor barrier protection. Installation associated with both types ofproducts is often time consuming, labor intensive, and subsequentlyexpensive, due to the necessity of containing the insulation productusing additional layers of material and/or fastening means. Installationof stapled flanges often results in gaps between staples securing thefacing, and this can lead to air leaks and moisture absorption into theinsulation product. These gaps between the fastening means or theplacement of an additional vapor barrier material can also result in anunattractive appearance of the installed product as well.

It is also known to utilize binderless fibrous insulation products toproduce insulation batts. Binderless fibrous insulation products aregenerally contained within an exterior layer, such as a kraft paper orpolyethylene sleeve of material, and cut into batts for use ininsulating wall cavities. Binderless products are significantly lessrigid than bindered insulation products, thus making the binderlessproduct more difficult to install. A compression fit installation is thetypical installation method for these types of binderless products,meaning the insulation batt is deformed such that the binderless productfills the insulation cavity. However, binderless products lack thestiffness of bindered products, subsequently making the binderlessproducts hard to handle. Additionally, the fibers in binderless productscan become unevenly distributed, and such uneven distribution has anegative impact on the performance of the insulation product.

Thus, it would be desirable to create an improved insulation product.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The above objects as well as other objects not specifically enumeratedare achieved by an insulation batt. The insulation batt includes anelongated blanket of fibrous insulation material adapted to bepositioned entirely within a wall cavity. The elongated blanket has aface portion and edges defining a blanket width that is within the rangeof from about 102 percent to about 107 percent of the known nominalwidth of the wall cavity. A facing material is attached to the faceportion of the elongated blanket of fibrous insulation material. Theinsulation batt has a stiffness characterized by an angle measurementthat measures the amount of deflection of the insulation products as theinsulation batts are draped over a support located perpendicular to thelongitudinal center axis of the insulation product. The stiffnessmeasurement is within the range from about 15 degrees to about 35degrees. The width of the facing material and the width of the blanketare approximately the same.

According to this invention there is also provided an insulation batt.The insulation batt includes an elongated blanket of fibrous insulationmaterial adapted to be positioned entirely within a wall cavity. Theelongated blanket has a face portion and edges defining a blanket widththat is within the range of from about 102 percent to about 107 percentof the known nominal width of the wall cavity. A facing material isattached to the face portion of the elongated blanket of fibrousinsulation material. The insulation batt has a stiffness characterizedby an angle measurement that measures the amount of deflection of theinsulation products as the insulation batts are draped over a supportlocated perpendicular to the longitudinal center axis of the insulationproduct. The stiffness measurement is within the range from about 15degrees to about 35 degrees. The facing material has no flanges.

According to this invention there is also provided an insulation batt.The insulation batt includes an elongated blanket of fibrous insulationmaterial adapted to be positioned entirely within a wall cavity. Theelongated blanket has a face portion and edges defining a blanket widththat is within the range of from about 102 percent to about 107 percentof the known nominal width of the wall cavity. A facing material isattached to the face portion of the elongated blanket of fibrousinsulation material. The insulation batt has a stiffness characterizedby an angle measurement that measures the amount of deflection of theinsulation products as the insulation batts are draped over a supportlocated perpendicular to the longitudinal center axis of the insulationproduct. The stiffness measurement is within the range from about 15degrees to about 35 degrees. In an installed position, the facingmaterial is easily movable to allow visual inspection of the insulationbatt without damaging the installed facing material.

Various objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent tothose skilled in the art from the following detailed description of thepreferred embodiment, when read in light of the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of the insulation product of thepresent invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the insulation product.

FIG. 3 is a schematic view of the manufacturing process used to createthe insulation product.

FIG. 4 is an exploded sectional view of the facing material and adhesivelayer prior to installation on the insulation material.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a building wall including individualwall cavities that are of a known nominal width.

FIG. 6 is a top plan view of the insulation product relative to a wallcavity prior to installation.

FIG. 7 is a top plan view of the insulation product installed in wallcavities of a known nominal width using a compression fit installation.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the insulation product compression fitinstalled into wall cavities of a known nominal width.

FIG. 9 is a sectional view of the test performed to determine thestiffness of the insulation product of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of insulation wall cavities insulatedusing prior art installation methods.

FIG. 11 is a plan view of a portion of the insulation wall cavity ofFIG. 10 taken along line 11-11, showing the inset method of installingflanged insulation in a wall cavity.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

While the description and drawings disclose insulation products offiberglass insulation, it is to be understood that the insulationmaterial can be any compressible fibrous insulation material, such asrock wool and such as polypropylene.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the insulation product of the invention,indicated generally at 10, is comprised of an elongated strip of fibrousinsulation blanket 12, and a facing 20 adhered to a major surfacedefined by edges 14 and 16 of the fibrous insulation blanket 12. Thefibrous insulation blanket 12 is preferably fibrous glass having adensity within the range of from about 0.3 to about 1.5 pounds per cubicfoot (pcf), although other densities can be used. Also, other fibers,such as mineral fibers of rock, slag or basalt, can be used as well asorganic fibers, such as the polymer fibers polypropylene, polyester andpolysulfide. The fibers are preferably, but not necessarily, bondedtogether with a binder material, such as a urea phenol-formaldehydecommonly used with fiberglass insulation, to provide stiffness to thefibrous insulation blanket 12. It will be appreciated that any bindermaterial suitable for bonding the fibers together may be used.

The cross sectional shape of the fibrous insulation blanket 12, as shownin FIG. 1, is generally rectangular. This corresponds to the crosssectional shape, shown in FIG. 5, of a typical insulation wall cavity 42in a typical wall structure, indicated generally at 40. The insulationblanket 12 generally has a first major surface 11 and a second majorsurface 13. The width of the major surfaces 11 and 13 is defined by afirst edge surface 14 and a second edge surface 16 of the fibrousinsulation blanket 12, with the overall uncompressed width being denotedby variable X₁. The overall width X₁ of the insulation blanket 12 ispreferably larger than the known nominal width of a typical wallinsulation cavity 42. For example, where the known nominal width of atypical wall insulation cavity 42 is about 14½ inches, the width of theinsulation blanket 12 is preferably within the range of from about 14¾inches to about 15⅜ inches, and most preferably within the range fromabout 15 inches to about 15⅜ inches. In one preferred embodiment of theinvention, the overall width X₁ of the insulation blanket 12 isapproximately 15¼ inches, although the overall width X₁ may be anydimension suitable for installation in typical insulation wall cavities42. Although the insulation products described above pertain toinsulation cavities on 16 inch centers, it is to be understood that thesame principles apply for insulation cavities based on 24 inch centers.

FIG. 5 illustrates a typical wall structure, which includes a bottomplate 43 on which rests a plurality of studs 44. The bottom plate 43,studs 44, and a top plate (not shown) define the four sides of aninsulation wall cavity 42. The studs 44 are placed at a known intervalfrom one another to define wall cavities 42 having a known nominalaverage width, denoted by variable X₂. Typical wall structureconstruction generally places the studs at approximately 16 inch orapproximately 24 inch intervals, measured from the center of each stud44, with the studs 44 typically being approximately 1½ inches in width.Based upon this spacing, the nominal average width for typical wallcavities is approximately 14½ inches for 16 inch spacing, and 22½ inchesfor 24 inch spacing. A substantial portion, approximately ninety sixpercent, of all standard wall cavities fall within an acceptabletolerance range of one-half inch of the desired 14½ inch or 22½ cavitywidth. The front or interior side of the wall cavities 42 is typicallycovered with drywall for interior applications, and the back or exteriorside of the wall cavities is typically covered with sheathing material,such as plywood, composite boards of compressed wood, or foam sheathing.

The preferred method of installation for the insulation product 10 is acompression fit installation, meaning that the insulation product 10 iscompressed to conform to the dimensions of an insulation cavity 42having a known nominal width X₂. To facilitate this method ofinstallation, it is preferable that the overall width X₁ of theinsulation blanket 12 be larger than the overall width X₂ of theinsulation cavity 42. Generally, the width X₁ of the insulation materialshould be within the range of about 102 percent to about 107 percent ofthe known X₂ nominal width of the wall insulation cavity 42. In apreferred embodiment of the invention, the width X₁ of the insulationblanket 12 is within the range from about 14¾ inches to about 15½inches, where the nominal insulation cavity width X₂ is about 14½inches, and the width of the insulation blanket 12 is most preferablywithin the range of from about 15 inches to about 15¼ inches.

The insulation product 10 also includes a facing 20. The purpose of thefacing 20 is both to provide a tough but somewhat flexible surface forthe insulation product 10 and to provide vapor barrier protection forthe insulation product 10. Although the preferred material for thefacing 20 is asphalt/kraft paper or poly/kraft paper (kraft paper with apolymer layer, such as a polyethylene layer), as disclosed in Ser. No.09/867,260 filed May 29, 2001 and Ser. No. 10/191,873 filed Jul. 9,2002, entitled High Performance Kraft Facing for Fiberglass Insulation,invented by James G. Snyder, herein incorporated by reference, it is tobe understood that any suitable facing material may be used. Examples ofsuch other suitable materials include polyethylene film or foil facingmaterials. The facing 20 is preferably flangeless, meaning that thefacing 20 has approximately the same overall width X₁ as the fibrousblanket 12, or else has a facing that does not exceed the width of theinsulation blanket 12 by more than about ⅜ inches. Therefore, thepreferred width of the facing 20 is within the range from about 14¾inches to about 15⅜ inches, where the nominal insulation cavity width X₂is about 14½ inches, and the width of the facing 20 is most preferablywithin the range from about 15 inches to about 15⅜ inches. The facing 20is adhered to the fibrous blanket 12 by a layer 26 of adhesive material36. The adhesive layer 26 is preferably continuous, although it can bediscontinuous, such as in the form of strips, where the facing materialitself provides the vapor barrier. The facing material 20, the adhesivelayer 26, or the combination of both may form vapor barrier protectionneeded to prevent moisture from entering the fibrous blanket 12. Wherevapor barrier protection is required, the preferred material for theadhesive layer 26 is an asphalt adhesive; however, any suitablenon-porous adhesive material may be used. Where the insulation productdoes not need to provide vapor protection, any vapor porous adhesivematerial may also be used. In addition to its vapor barrier attributes,the adhesive layer 26 also contributes to the structural integrity ofthe insulation product 10, by increasing the rigidity of the insulationproduct 10 while allowing the insulation product 10 to maintain thedesired compressibility and handleability characteristics.

To create the insulation product 10, as is illustrated in FIG. 3, thefibrous insulation blanket 12 is placed on conveying means 28 in such amanner that the major surface 13 is in contact with the conveyer 28. Theadhesive material 36, is pumped from a reservoir 34 to an applicationroller 31. This adhesive application roller 31 contacts a secondadhesive application roller 32, applying a layer of adhesive to theroller 32, with the width of the adhesive on roller 32 being equal tothe desired width of the adhesive layer 26 to be applied to the facingmaterial 20. The facing material 20, which is fed through another roller30 rotatably engaged with the second adhesive application roller 32, isthen coated with the adhesive layer 26, creating a coated facingcomponent 21. The coated facing component 21 is then placed in contactwith the major surface 13 on the bottom side of the insulation blanket12 as it advances along the conveyer 28. The facing could also beapplied to the top side. The facing component 21 is preferably orientedsuch that the facing component 21 is symmetrically aligned about thelongitudinal center axis 29 of the fibrous insulation blanket 12,although in other embodiments of the invention, the facing component 21is not so aligned. The strip of the combined insulation blanket 12 andfacing component 21 is then cut into batts (not shown) having widths andlengths suitable for residential and commercial applications. A typicallength for an insulation batt is approximately 8 feet, although thebatts can be cut into any desired length. Also, it is to be understoodthat the product and method of the invention could be applied toinsulation provided in continuous lengths, and packaged in roll formrather than batt form. It will be appreciated that any suitable methodmay be used for application of the adhesive material 36 to the facingmaterial 20 to form the facing component 21.

FIG. 4 illustrates the facing component 21, which includes the facingmaterial 20 coated with the adhesive layer 26 prior to the installationof the facing material 20 onto the insulation blanket 12. In a preferredembodiment, the width of the adhesive layer 26 applied by the secondadhesive roller 32 during the manufacturing process is preferably lessthan the width of the facing material 20, although the decreased widthof the adhesive layer 26 is not required. Additionally, the adhesivelayer 26 is preferably symmetrically aligned about the longitudinalcenter axis 18 of the facing material 20. This symmetrical alignmentresults generally in the adhesive material's being substantially spacedapart from the edges 23, 24 of the facing material, and specificallyyields approximately equal portions of uncoated facing material 20,denoted by variable X₃, at each edge 23, 24 of the facing material 20.Although axial alignment of the adhesive layer 26 is preferable, it willbe appreciated that the adhesive layer 26 may be aligned in anyconfiguration resulting in an uncoated portion X₃ at each edge 23, 24 ofthe facing material 20. The adhesive layer 26 is preferably smaller thanthe facing material 20 by an amount within the range of from about 0.25inches to about 0.5 inches, although any width of the adhesive layer 26within the range of from about ninety to about ninety-eight percent ofthe width of the facing material 20 would be suitable. Although theembodiment of the invention described above provides for uncoatedportions of the facing material 20 at the edges, it is to be understoodthat in other embodiments of the invention the asphalt coating canextend the entire width of the facing material.

FIGS. 5 through 8 illustrate the preferred application for theinsulation product 10. A particular advantage of the insulation product10 and the method of this invention is the reduction in installationtime for the insulation. This time savings is realized by using acompression fit installation technique for the insulation product 10. Aspreviously discussed, a typical wall structure 40 contains a pluralityof standard sized wall cavities 42, having an industry accepted knownnominal width X₂. As FIG. 6 illustrates, the insulation product has anoverall width X₁ that is larger than the wall cavity width X₂, which isthe optimal width relation to use the compression fit installationtechnique. Compression fit installation occurs where an installerapplies a compression force to the insulation product 10 at the edgesurfaces 14, 16. This causes the overall width of the insulation productX₁ to become approximately equal or slightly less than the width X₂ ofthe wall cavity 42. Referring to FIG. 7, the compressed insulationproduct 10 is then placed into the insulation wall cavity 42, and thecompression force applied by the installer is released from theinsulation product 10. As shown in FIG. 8, the insulation product 10then expands to fill the wall cavity 42. A lateral compressive forceremains on the insulation product 10 due to the inability of theinsulation product 10 to expand to its original uncompressed width X₁,and this force holds the insulation product 10 in place within theinsulation cavity 42. Insulation products held in a wall cavity by theexpansive forces of a slightly compressed insulation batt eliminates theneed for stapling to hold the insulation product 10 in place.Subsequently, installation time as well as the labor expended tocomplete installation is significantly reduced, with installation of theinsulation product 10 of the invention being at least 10 percent faster,and possibly up to 50 percent faster than the time required to installstandard asphalt/kraft flanged faced insulation or unfaced insulationused with a separately installed vapor barrier. The time savings comefrom elimination of the fastening operation, as will be explained below.

In order for the compression fit installation technique to besuccessful, the insulation product 10 may need to meet certain stiffnessand compressibility requirements. The stiffness of the insulationproduct 10 is generally determined by measuring the deflection of theinsulation product 10, as shown in FIG. 9. To obtain the stiffnessmeasurement, a support 51 is placed at the center axis 52 of aninsulation product 10 of a finite test length 50. Preferably, the testlength 50 for the stiffness test is forty eight inches, although anylength suitable for performing the stiffness test may be used. The majorsurface 11 of the insulation product is placed on the support 51. Priorto any deflection or draping of the insulation product 10, thelongitudinal center axis 29 of the insulation product 10 isperpendicular to the support, as indicated at 53. This perpendicular orundraped configuration 53 of the major surface 11 of the insulationproduct 10 relative to the support 51 represents a stiffness anglemeasurement of 0 degrees. The insulation product is then permitted todrape over of the support 51, causing a deflection of the major surface11 of the insulation product 10 on either side of the support 51. Thedraped outline of the insulation product is indicated in phantom linesat 10 a. The angles of deflection θ₁ and θ₂ are measures of the anglesbetween the major face 11 of the batt in the undraped position and themajor face 11 of the insulation product 10 a in the draped position, asmeasured on either side of the support 51. The batt is then turned overand the entire measuring process is repeated. The angles of deflectionθ₁ and θ₂ are then averaged together to yield the overall stiffnessmeasurement for the insulation product 10. An acceptable stiffnessmeasurement for the insulation product 10, after packaging and storagefor six weeks, that allows the insulation product to be used for acompression fit installation is within the range of from about 10degrees to about 50 degrees, and most preferably within the range offrom about 10 degrees to about 25 degrees.

Another particular advantage of the flangeless faced insulation product10 of the present invention is that an improved seal of the vaporbarrier is obtained when compared with typical installations of flangedinsulation products. Vapor barrier protection is necessary to preventmoisture-laden air from the warm interior of the dwelling from enteringthe insulation product 10, condensing within the insulation blanket 12,and subsequently impairing the designed efficiency of the insulationproduct 10. To prevent moisture infiltration into the insulation blanket12, it is preferable to have intimate contact between the vapor barrieror facing 20 and each of the two wall studs 44 defining the insulationwall cavity 42.

In a conventional installation of flanged wall insulation products, theflanges are used in two different ways to secure the conventionalinsulation product in a wall cavity. In the first conventionalinstallation method, known as “face stapling” and shown in FIG. 10,flanges 46 of a flanged batt 10 b are stapled with staples 47 onto theexposed narrow edges 45 of the wall studs 44. Although this facestapling installation method provides a good seal of the facing 20 tothe studs 44 and therefore provides a good vapor barrier system, theconventional face stapling installation method is undesirable preciselybecause it covers the exposed edges 45 of the studs 44. By covering theexposed edges 45 of the studs 44, subsequent use of the studs for gluingof drywall is precluded. The drywall cannot be glued to the studs if thestuds are covered with the flanges 46.

As a result of the desire to avoid covering the stud edges 45 with theflanges 46, a second conventional installation method is preferred. Inthis second conventional method, as shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, aconventional flanged batt 10 c is installed with inset stapling. In theinset stapling method, the flanges 46 of the batt 10 c are folded andapplied with staples 47 to the interior faces 48 of the studs 44. It canbe seen in FIG. 11 that a vertical crease 49 is created at each frontcorner of the insulation cavity. This results in two areas having noinsulation material, i.e., the creases 49, as well two areas 55 ofovercompressed insulation. Therefore, inset stapling of the flangesresults in an incomplete delivery of the R-value of the insulationproduct. The effect of these creases 49 and areas 55 of overcompressionis undesirable, and the insulation system of the invention providesimproved efficiency and aesthetics. Another problem, caused byimperfections in the studs or inadvertent bunching of the flanges duringthe stapling process, is a condition referred to as “fishmouth”, wherethe flanges are bulged away from the interior faces 48 of the studs 44,creating gaps 56. This usually happens when the flange is not perfectlyflattened against the interior face 48 of the stud 44 during theapplication of the staples. These gaps 56 give the installation job anunsightly, unprofessional look, and can provide paths for an undesirableentry of water vapor into the insulation product.

An additional problem with both of the conventional installationmethods, stud face stapling and inset stapling, is that each methodrequires a large number of staples. A typical eight foot wall cavityinsulated with either of the two conventional methods involves theapplication of dozens of staples. Even with the use of modern stapleguns, there are still ergonomic and time efficiency problems involvedwith the requirement for stapling. The insulation installer is requiredto bend and stretch to reach the flanges for stapling, and must twisthis hands at awkward angles. Also, the staple guns have to re-loadedconstantly. Additionally, the cost of the staples adds to the cost ofthe insulation job.

Standard wall cavities 42 based upon 16 inch spacings between the studs44 defining the wall cavities 42 are approximately 14½ inches in width.The insulation product 10 of the invention, in contrast to theconventional products of the prior art, is a flangeless product, and hasa facing material 20 that is preferably from about 15 inches to about15⅜ inches in width. Using the compression fit installation technique,the small additional width of the insulation product 10 beyond that ofthe nominal width of the insulation cavity 42 dictates that theinsulation product 10 must be compressed laterally before being placedinside the insulation wall cavity 42. When the compression force usedfor installation is released, the insulation product 10 expands, butonly to the extent of the width X₂ of the insulation cavity 42. Theelimination of the flanges for the insulation product 10, as well as theslightly increased width of the facing material 20 and the insulationblanket 12 over standard widths, creates a tight seal between the facingmaterial 20 and the studs 44 defining the insulation wall cavity 42. Itis this tight seal between the facing material 20 and the studs 44 thatsubsequently prevents moisture laden air from reaching the insulationblanket 12 of the insulation product 10, thereby providing superiorvapor barrier protection in contrast to a similarly installed insetstapled flanged product. Additionally, the elimination of the flangesand the step of fastening of the flanges furnishes an insulation product10 with an aesthetically pleasing smooth appearance when compared with asimilarly installed inset stapled flanged product.

Another advantage of the flangeless insulation product 10 of theinvention is that during manufacturing a full machine-width ofinsulation material can be faced all at once and then slit intoindividual lanes of strip insulation material, each lane having theinsulation blanket and facing material of the same width. Also, it is tobe understood that the insulation products of the invention can beapplied to insulation cavities other than wall cavities.

An additional advantage of the invention is that, by eliminating theflanges, the product is easier and quicker to cut thereby speeding theapplication of the product when it needs to be cut to fit the specificinsulation cavities. Without the flanges the product is much less likelyto tear during cutting of the batt, and this will result in a bettervapor barrier and improved appearance, especially around objects, suchas electrical boxes, in the stud cavities.

Still another advantage of the invention is that without flanges, theinsulation supervisor, the building inspector, the builder and theprospective home owner can all visually inspect the completedinstallation job and easily determine whether or not the insulationmaterial extends the full width of the wall cavity, reaching all the wayto the studs. Although most wall cavities (or other insulation cavities)are of standard size, a small percentage of them are oversized. Aproblem in insulating these extra wide wall cavities is that theinsulation may not extend all the way to each stud. If the gap betweenthe insulation batt and the stud is less than one inch wide, the gap canbe easily covered by the flange, making the uninsulated gap difficult tosee, and therefore more likely not to be corrected.

In a specific embodiment of the invention, the width of the insulationblanket 12 and the width of the facing material 20 are within the rangeof from about 102 percent to about 107 percent of the known nominalwidth of the plurality of insulation wall cavities. For a typicalinsulation cavity having a known nominal width of approximately 14½inches, the system of the invention provides flangeless insulationproducts in which the width of the insulation blanket 12 and the widthof the facing material 20 are preferably within the range of from about15⅛ to about 15⅜ inches, and most preferably approximately 15¼ inches.Where such a product is designed for 2×4 wall stud construction, theinsulation blanket preferably has a density of about 0.75 pounds percubic foot. Where such a product is designed for 2×6 wall studconstruction, the insulation blanket preferably has a density of about0.45 pounds per cubic foot.

In another specific embodiment of the invention, the facing material 20has a width wider than the width of the insulation blanket 12 by anamount within the range of from about 1.0 percent to about 3.0 percentof the width of the insulation blanket 12. More preferably, the facingmaterial 20 has a width wider than the width of the insulation blanket12 by an amount within the range of from about 1.5 percent to about 2.0percent of the width of the insulation blanket 12. The width of thefacing material 20 is greater than the nominal width of the insulationcavities 40 for which the insulation products are designed. Theincreased width of the facing material 20 improves the seal of theinsulation product when placed within insulation wall cavities 40 of theknown nominal width in comparison to the seal provided by conventionalflanged insulation products applied with inset stapling to the sameinsulation wall cavities. For a typical insulation cavity having a knownnominal width of approximately 14½ inches, the system of the inventionprovides flangeless insulation products in which the width of theinsulation blanket 12 is approximately 15 inches, and the width of thefacing material 20 is within the range of from about 15⅛ to about 15⅜inches, and most preferably approximately 15¼ inches. Where such aproduct is designed for 2×4 wall stud construction, the insulationblanket preferably has a density of about 1.25 pounds per cubic foot.Where such a product is designed for 2×6 wall stud construction, theinsulation blanket preferably has a density of about 0.75 pounds percubic foot. Where the insulation products 10 are designed as heavydensity insulation products having higher R-values than standardproducts, the for width of a major surface 13 of the insulation blanket12 is preferably within the range of from about 14⅞ to about 15⅛ inches,and most preferably approximately 15 inches.

In summary, the system and product of the invention optimize the widthof the fibrous insulation material to maximize the ease of installation,and to maximize the confidence that the insulation will stay in place inthe insulation cavity for the life of the product.

The principle and mode of operation of this invention have beendescribed in its preferred embodiments. However, it should be noted thatthis invention may be practiced otherwise than as specificallyillustrated and described without departing from its scope.

1. An insulation batt comprising: an elongated blanket of fibrousinsulation material adapted to be positioned entirely within a wallcavity, the elongated blanket having a face portion and edges defining ablanket width that is within the range of from about 102 percent toabout 107 percent of the known nominal width of the wall cavity; and afacing material attached to the face portion of the elongated blanket offibrous insulation material; wherein the insulation batt has a stiffnesscharacterized by an angle measurement that measures the amount ofdeflection of the insulation products as the insulation batts are drapedover a support located perpendicular to the longitudinal center axis ofthe insulation product, wherein the stiffness measurement is within therange from about 15 degrees to about 35 degrees; wherein the width ofthe facing material and the width of the blanket are approximately thesame.
 2. The insulation batt of claim 1, wherein the known nominal widthof the insulation cavity is approximately 14½ inches, and the width ofthe insulation blanket and the width of the facing material areapproximately 15 inches.
 3. The insulation batt of claim 1, wherein theinsulation blanket has a density in a range of from about 0.3 pounds percubic foot to about 1.5 pounds per cubic foot.
 4. The insulation batt ofclaim 1, wherein the facing material is an asphalt/kraft paper orpolymer/kraft paper.
 5. An insulation batt comprising: an elongatedblanket of fibrous insulation material adapted to be positioned entirelywithin a wall cavity, the elongated blanket having a face portion andedges defining a blanket width that is within the range of from about102 percent to about 107 percent of the known nominal width of the wallcavity; and a facing material attached to the face portion of theelongated blanket of fibrous insulation material; wherein the insulationbatt has a stiffness characterized by an angle measurement that measuresthe amount of deflection of the insulation products as the insulationbatts are draped over a support located perpendicular to thelongitudinal center axis of the insulation product, wherein thestiffness measurement is within the range from about 15 degrees to about35 degrees; wherein the facing material has no flanges.
 6. Theinsulation batt of claim 5, wherein the known nominal width of theinsulation cavity is approximately 14½ inches, and the width of theinsulation blanket and the width of the facing material areapproximately 15 inches.
 7. The insulation batt of claim 5, wherein theinsulation blanket has a density in a range of from about 0.3 pounds percubic foot to about 1.5 pounds per cubic foot.
 8. The insulation batt ofclaim 5, wherein the facing material is an asphalt/kraft paper orpolymer/kraft paper.
 9. An insulation batt comprising: an elongatedblanket of fibrous insulation material adapted to be positioned entirelywithin a wall cavity, the elongated blanket having a face portion andedges defining a blanket width that is within the range of from about102 percent to about 107 percent of the known nominal width of the wallcavity; and a facing material attached to the face portion of theelongated blanket of fibrous insulation material; wherein the insulationbatt has a stiffness characterized by an angle measurement that measuresthe amount of deflection of the insulation products as the insulationbatts are draped over a support located perpendicular to thelongitudinal center axis of the insulation product, wherein thestiffness measurement is within the range from about 15 degrees to about35 degrees; wherein in an installed position, the facing material iseasily movable to allow visual inspection of the insulation batt withoutdamaging the installed facing material.
 10. The insulation batt of claim9, wherein the known nominal width of the insulation cavity isapproximately 14½ inches, and the width of the insulation blanket andthe width of the facing material are approximately 15 inches.
 11. Theinsulation batt of claim 9, wherein the insulation blanket has a densityin a range of from about 0.3 pounds per cubic foot to about 1.5 poundsper cubic foot.
 12. The insulation batt of claim 9, wherein the facingmaterial is an asphalt/kraft paper or polymer/kraft paper.